A Visitor from Terrasen [Indefinite Hiatus]

The Calm Before the Storm

Amren didn't quite know what to think of the strange, oddly human woman she had met this morning. It was as if, human was wrong, but she clearly scented human and acted like it. They hadn't yet managed to get her to speak of Fae in her world, to explain why she wasn't afraid of them. Amren doubted she ever would speak, how could they tell her there was no way home, her expression when speaking of her husband was clear. For a single brilliant moment Amren considered, that maybe there was something more to this woman, and it had all been knocked down. Human women were utterly boring, all they cared about were their men. Not that Fae were much different.

Amren just didn't get it, yes she had Varian, but her and the Prince of Adriatta were different, not by much, but enough. They had had a cup of tea in the reading room, the woman now permanently stuck in that state of quiet mourning, a complete constrast to the passionately burning woman she had been told to expect. Well she had seen it for a moment, that wonderful personality of someone who never quite stopped talking, never quite stopped at all. And Amren had wondered in that moment, what exactly Celaena Sardothien was running from. Or perhaps, if she was as mad as she seemed to head up the Mountain in the middle of the Blood Rite, what she was running towards.

The Inner Circle now sat in the townhouse in the city below, Celaena safely tucked away in a room in the House above and none of them seemed troubled by the sudden change in behaviour of their new guest. Rhys had been going on for about 10 minutes not about the fire round her mind but Amren had tuned him out, admiring the jewelry she had taken such care to put on this morning.

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Feyre wasn't sure what to say to Rhys, he was pacing up and down the room running his hands through his hair and talking, he just wouldn't stop talking. "Can we even trust her? She may be human but she's no human we've ever seen before, she's not even scared of us for crying out loud!"

Azriel was drinking again, despite the time of the day. "It's likely Fae in her world coexist peacefully with humans."

If Feyre didn't know better she would have said he sounded bored, but his hand on the glass, was still shaking. "She must really love her husband."

This was Cassian's turn to speak, but before anyone else Nesta retorted, "Oh so now you're upset you can't get in her pants?" He levelled a look at his wife before tipping his head back on the seat, letting out a groan.

"What are we going to do with a human? We're in the North of Prythian!"

"You think we could take her to the human realm? Find her a family? Work?" Feyre's voice was eager, and she started to think maybe she could save one more human. "She has to be scared, human fear isn't like Faerie fear, it eats you up inside and it's so horrible, we have to help her!"

Rhysand stopped pacing and turned to look at her lovingly, "We will Feyre darling, but we have to work out how to help her."

Azriel spoke up again, "I don't think she'd cope in the human realm, they're too quick to turn on people, all she has to say is one good thing about Fae and they'd execute her. Plus if we took her there everyone would think she was planted by Fae to make them trust us through trickery."

"Do you have to be so clever all the time Az?" Cassian laughed at his brother and patted him on the shoulder, "We all just want to help her, it's what we fought the war for huh?"

They all gave hums of agreement before Nesta let out a snort and got to her feet, "Well I want to go to a lovely little shop on the other side of the Sidra, it's been a while since I last took a visit."

Cassian rose beside her and helped her gather her things, "I'll go with you," he offered and gave her the gentlest smile Feyre had ever seen on the general's face.

The rest of the Inner Circle gradually made their way out, and Rhys gave her a hug before making his own exit. "We'll talk more at dinner okay?" Then he vanished.

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They did indeed talk more at dinner, argued and debated and tried and tried to come to some sort of agreement of what to do with the human woman, the next day Rhys and Feyre went to speak to her again. They didn't learn much, the human wasn't doing anything strange, she asked if she could read their books, and seeing nothing better for her to do they agreed that she could read whatever she could find in the House's reading rooms.

The smile on Celaena's face brightened Feyre's day, and in turn brightened Rhys'. They discussed her again at the next days dinner and they collectively decided the next evening would be spent in the House of Wind, and that they would have dinner with the woman herself.

"We'll drop in tomorrow morning and let her know we'll be by in the evening." Rhys seemed glad they had agreed on something at least, but to his surprise, or rather not, Nesta spoke up.

"I'm meeting up with a friend of mine at a restaurant tomorrow, so I can't go." Cassian looked absolutely devasted but his wife didn't seem to notice. Amren also surprised them by adding, "I am also otherwise... occupied. However if anything unusual is to happen, I would be most pleased to hear it, the next morning."

The meaning of her words were clear, anyone to disturb Amren tomorrow evening would be slaughtered, regardless of who or why.

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The following morning Feyre made her way to the House of Wind alone, her mate had some business to attend to in the Illyrian camps but she was more than confident to visit the human by herself, maybe they could grow closer because if the woman knew Feyre had once been human, she could see that Feyre understood exactly what she was feeling.

Azriel's two shadows, Nuala and Cerridwen, had been taking care of her, apparently she seemed slightly cautious of them at first, but then treated them kindly and like real individual people. The High Lady knocked three times on the door of the suite Celaena was staying in, but was surprised when there was no answer. She sent her magic out, searching for life and found.... nothing. Feyre sent it out further and further, her heart nearly pounding out of her chest, before realising, the human was there, she just hadn't picked her up before her sense was so.... otherworldly.

But she wasn't in the room, she was along the hallway in the room with all the books. Feyre made her way along and had to twist through a few different blocks of shelving to find Celaena methodically working along the shelving, as if she was looking for something. What surprised Feyre most however was the fact that Celaena seemed to notice her presence immediately, something she had never seen a human do before.

The woman's tone was strangely cheerful as she asked from her crouch on the floor, "There wouldn't happen to be any other books rooms round here, would there?"

Instantly, Feyre though of the Library in the city, with the women and the lowest floor with Bryaxis. Perhaps a place like that would be perfect for a woman who looked as broken and hopeless as this one.

"Yes... there's a great library in the city... It's only for special people thought..." Feyre wasn't sure if it was a good idea to take her there, they didn't really have any reason to trust her and yet, she still seemed to sad, so broken in her eyes. Celaena turned and started straight into her soul, and Feyre watched her gaze soften and look almost desperate.

"I guess you feel pretty locked up in here?" Feyre dropped her voice slightly, making it gentle and full of sympathy. Becoming a mother had changed her, she was proud of how she could sense people's mood swings now, and she felt really tuned into the human's, she could almost see her own face staring back at her but blinked it away and smiled, making up her mind, "I'll take you if you like."

AN: Bit short but I think we can all see where this is going, the continuity has gone missing but just enjoy the shitshow kay. I also REALLY need to stop leaving my notes at the top of each chapter when i publish it